


you'll always find your way back home

by IntrovertedOwl



Series: wolf pack [3]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Pre-Season/Series 07, Reunions, idek what this is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-18
Updated: 2017-09-18
Packaged: 2018-12-31 09:46:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12129795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IntrovertedOwl/pseuds/IntrovertedOwl
Summary: An AU where Arya is with Dany when she finally meets the Starks.~ series is a collection of unrelated Stark fam stories ~





	you'll always find your way back home

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this more than a year ago so it's now AU. Also, not sure if I've got Dany correctly, I'm not her biggest fan, show or books, so I'm not sure I've done her justice.

 

"A meeting for what?" Dany snapped. She probably should keep herself calm and be patient... She's a Queen after all. But Dany is tired. She has been waiting to conquer Westeros for years, now. She has her dragons, she has her army, she even has allies among the rich Houses of Westeros. She has yet to conquer a lot of places, of course, but she doesn't understand why some of them are being so... stubborn. She knows about Westerosi history. When Aegon and his sisters came to Westeros with their dragons they conquered the Seven Kingdoms. Everyone but Dorne had knelt to them and with Dorne they had forged an alliance. Well, she had Dorne on her side. And the Tyrells, and the Greyjoys, although the Iron Islands hadn't been of much use once she'd gained their ships. The Lannisters were mostly dead, except for Tyrion's brother, so that wouldn't be a problem.

 

No, the problem was the Vale and the Riverlands... Because they were rallying behind the Starks and the Starks had taken back Winterfell, or so some claimed. Tyrion and Varys had filled her in on what had happened when they were in King's Landing. And she  _did_ feel bad for them, truly she did. But she was no newcomer to suffering. Her own parents, and eldest brother, and niece and nephew had been killed by the Usurper, and Ned Stark, his pet wolf - although it would be best if she doesn't think of him like that, right now.

 

"The North doesn't want to surrender, Your Grace, but they are willing to discuss peace terms with you -" said the messenger.

 

"Peace? I have three dragons. Grown dragons. I could burn their whole kingdom if I wished. Why shouldn't they surrender?"

 

"They said there are things you don't know about what's happening there... And that it would be best if you at listened to them -"

 

She glanced at Tyrion. Dismissing the messenger for a while, she talked to her advisors.

 

"What do you think of this?"

 

"I've met Jon Snow, Your Grace..." said Tyrion. "He seemed a sensible boy then. And we can always disagree to the terms. Whatever you may think of them, the Starks are an honourable bunch. It wouldn't hurt to listen to them."

 

And so it was that Dany found herself seated with Tyrion, Missandei, and a few more of her advisors. Grey Worm was standing guard. A man her age soon entered, along with a pretty girl with red hair, and older man who she thought had a kind face. They were all dressed rather simply, especially the two men. She had been told that the Northerners had declared Jon Snow as the King in the North, but while he may have a pretty face, she didn't think he looked particularly royal.

 

With the usual pleasantries over, she motioned for the young girl whom she'd picked up along the way to pour them all wine. When she didn't comply, she looked at her again and saw that she was staring at the Northmen, her eyes wide, and her mouth slightly open, her face pale, as if she'd seen a ghost.

 

"Nan?" she prompted. The girl was a lowborn Westerosi who had found herself in Essos somehow, after the War of the Five Kings. She'd been impressed with how quick and smart and fierce she was and so she had taken her in, although she could tell that the girl had plenty of secrets.

 

But the girl didn't hear her. Her lips trembled slightly. Dany looked back at her guests to apologize but she found Jon Snow and Lady Sansa staring at her too... And all of a sudden Jon lurched forward. Grey Worm started, but Nan was running too and had launched herself into Jon Snow's arms.

 

Dany looked on, shocked, as Jon hugged the girl tight. Nan's shoulders were shaking slightly, and once they pulled apart she thought Snow looked close to tears. Nan then looked at Sansa Stark and after a pause, they spoke together:

 

"I'm sorry -"

 

Lady Stark, with tears streaming down her beautiful face, said, "What are you sorry about? It was my fault, I-"

 

"I wouldn't behave-"

 

They continued talking over each other even as Sansa Stark sunk to her knees and they hugged too. Nan was sniffling, and Jon Snow then bent and hugged them both, and kissed Nan's hair - she was obviously  _not_ Nan, but Dany couldn't think of her as anything else.

 

"We thought you were  _dead_ -"

 

"I thought  _you_ were. I heard all sorts of stories, I didn't know what to believe-"

 

"But where did you  _go,_ how did you-"

 

"Needle saved my-"

 

They were babbling together in choked voices, but stayed close, and probably would have stayed that way for a long time, but Tyrion cleared his throat.

 

The three of them looked back and stood up.

 

Tyrion spoke up - "Lady Arya Stark, am I right? You needn't have hidden your identity from us."

 

Nan - no, Arya Stark, thought Dany - shrugged. "You're a Lannister. Your family killed most of mine. The Tyrells were allied with the Lannisters too. And I don't know about Dorne. I couldn't trust you."

 

She looked at Dany then, "I'm sorry I hid my identity, but the last Targaryen killed my grandfather and Uncle Brandon. I didn't think you would understand."

 

Dany didn't really know how to respond to that.

 

They asked for leave to continue discussions later, and Nan didn't know anything about their plans after all (Dany hadn't even told her about the meeting with Snow), so they allowed them to leave. Dany watched as they walked back together. Holding hands at times, and Snow ruffling Nan - Arya's - hair... And suddenly she felt miserable.

 

She remembered Viserys, her brother... He had loved her once, she knew, when they were younger. But he had grown more and more like... their father, the Mad King, as he was called here. And everything she did would anger him. He had stopped caring about her, he would even hurt her. She remembered asking Nan about her family, and Nan had said that they were all dead or missing, and she had looked so sad that she had dropped the subject. But she had her family now, or some of it... And the sight of them together... it reminded her of how Viserys would tell her stories when they were both young, and play with her. But even then they were not as close as these three looked. And later... Viserys would not have hugged her and kissed her the way Jon and Sansa Stark had hugged Arya. Viserys would not have been so relieved and happy on seeing her alive that he would be moved to tears.

 

And she felt jealous, almost. She knew it was absurd. She was a Queen while these people, although calling themselves royalty, didn't look like one. She had her dragons, she had wealth now, and she had a lot of support... But she did not have a family the way these three had.

 

And for a moment she thought that if she had to give up all of it, in return for a family that loved her and cared about her, she would.

**Author's Note:**

> And I just realized I got the "Tyrion vouches for Jon" part right - if nothing else, ha! xD
> 
>  
> 
> ~ I'm teamtonystarkneedsahug on tumblr ~


End file.
